Greetings from the Land of Enchantment

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Now Available on Video

Well, I haven't written in a while because I'm inundated at work and feeling way to overwhelmed to participate in much of life--so what did I do this weekend--marathon movies. I have to admit I was disappointed in some of the ones that had gotten great press but I hadn't found the time to see them in the theatres. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised by others.

So, here's the long and short of it:

The Squid and the WhaleUsually I love anything that Laura Linney is in, but this movie had nothing redeeming in it at all. Not that I have to have the compelling, sympathetic character to relate to in a move to like it, but this movie was disturbing on so many levels. And not only did you not sympathize with the characters but you couldn't stand them. I've never come so close to turning off a movie in years.

DerailedA thriller with my archtypal male, Clive Owen, and Jennifer Aniston, who despite her great skin and not-too-bad nose job just can't act (with the exception of Good Girl and even then I think her co-stars pulled her through that one) that just didn't quite do it for me. A little too violent, a bit too contrived. You aren't missing anything.

Okay, don't give up, they're beginning to get better....

9 LivesNine short stories directed by Robert Rodriguez, who is brilliant as usual. I was even pleasantly surprised by Robin Wright Penn's performance. (She generally is a hallmark for a terrible movie in my book.) The only weakness was inconsistency in the threads of story. Some stories carry over in minor ways to others, where others had no conceivable thread....Generally, lovely pieces, though, about women in their many variations. A fugue of pain and happiness.

Junebug

A lovely piece. Very charming and explores a group of people that are very underrepresented in the film genre--honest, sincere, Christian people with all their faults and all their foibles. I only wished for a bit more from Alessandro, whose performances I generally am drawn to.